Chapter 1826: A Firm Rebuke

From the Yan family patriarch down to the humblest member of the clan, every last one of them had heard that Shao Yuan was coming to the Yan family on behalf of the Sacred Ground. Their feelings were deeply mixed, to say the least.

It was the sort of feeling one gets when awaiting a judge's verdict—waiting to hear what Shao Yuan's ruling would be, what his sentence would be.

Back in those days, when Shao Yuan had still been in the Yan family, some of them couldn't even be bothered to give him the time of day. Now, Shao Yuan had grown to a stature the Yan family could no longer hope to reach.

The reception naturally had to be as grand as grand could possibly be.

After all, this might well determine whether the Yan family lived or died.

Before coming to the Yan family, Jiang Chen had in fact considered many things. This trip had been undertaken only after careful deliberation. He had gone through all manner of serious thought before arriving at a decision about how the Yan family should be dealt with.

Of course, given his current standing, it was absolutely necessary to maintain a lofty posture before the Yan family. As lofty as possible.

The Yan family patriarch naturally led dozens of senior figures from the family out to stand before the gates of the Yan estate, welcoming Jiang Chen's arrival with the highest possible ceremony.

Jiang Chen, for his part, brought a large contingent of Eternal Sacred Ground subordinates. The procession was grand in scale, carrying an air not unlike a decorated hero returning home.

However, Jiang Chen took no pleasure in such a feeling. It was not for this that he had come to the Yan family.

"Young Master Shao Yuan graces us with his presence! Our Yan family is truly honored beyond measure!"

"We respectfully welcome Young Master Shao Yuan!"

On the Yan family's side, every face wore an expression of reverence, every countenance etched with fear and unease.

Within the Yan family, there were still quite a few whose strength exceeded Jiang Chen's. Yet all of them—including the patriarch—now stood before Jiang Chen as meek as lambs.

Not a single one dared so much as twitch an eyebrow, lest Jiang Chen misinterpret the gesture, or read hostility into it.

"What do you mean, Young Master Shao Yuan? Our young lord's true name is Jiang Chen! Shao Yuan was merely an alias!" one of the Eternal Sacred Ground subordinates barked loudly.

It was clear that following Jiang Chen filled them with a sense of pride.

Jiang Chen's performance in that battle had been nothing short of awe-inspiring. He had already become an idol for many of the younger generation at the Eternal Sacred Ground. Under these circumstances, these men naturally felt it a tremendous honor to serve at his side.

Every member of the Yan family felt their heads buzzing.

Jiang Chen!

It truly was Jiang Chen.

Elder Xi, in particular, felt the world spin around him, nearly fainting on the spot.

All the details of that past trip to Peacock Sacred Mountain came flooding back to his mind.

Jiang Chen's expression was neither warm nor cold. His gaze swept indifferently over the crowd of Yan family members, and he caught sight of Yan Wanxi standing behind the patriarch. The corner of his mouth curved into an amused smile.

"I didn't expect this—not in my wildest dreams, Elder Xi. Here we meet again so soon. You've climbed fast, I'll give you that. You actually managed to take Elder Wanjun's position as a platform elder?"

Yan Wanxi's face immediately lost all color. His expression turned rigid, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"After we parted ways in the Human Domain, your domineering airs left quite a deep impression on me, Elder Xi," Jiang Chen said, his tone bland. The sarcasm, however, was unmistakable.

"If I remember correctly, you told me back then that your Yan family was the heavens, and I, Jiang Chen, was the dirt beneath your feet. In your eyes, I was nothing more than an ant. Am I right?"

Yan Wanxi had no reply. The victor was king and the vanquished a bandit. When he had been sent to the Human Domain back then, his attitude had indeed been beyond excessive. He simply hadn't regarded anyone from the Human Domain as worth a second glance.

"Do you remember what I told you back then?"

"I told you that one day, you would pay the price for your ignorance. That one day, you would regret your arrogance."

"I've waited all these years, and I've come to the Myriad Abyss Island—not to slap your face, Elder Xi, but to tell you this: Huang'er is my woman. You were able to take her away, and I was able to take her back from your hands."

"Whether it's the Xiahou family, or you, Yan Wanxi, or anyone else—no one can take Huang'er from me. No one!"

Yan Wanxi's face turned ashen. That trip to the Human Domain had indeed been at the Yan family's behest, but had he not also been trying to curry favor with the Xiahou family?

The entire Yan family stood in dead silence.

The Xiahou family had already been destroyed. As for the matter of Huang'er, the Yan family had played an exceedingly disgraceful role from start to finish, and in the end had managed to offend everyone while pleasing no one.

The Yan family patriarch let out a long sigh. "Young Master Jiang Chen, my Yan family was foolish. The fault in the matter of Huang'er does not belong to Yan Wanxi alone. As the patriarch, I bear a great deal of responsibility as well."

"That's enough. As long as Huang'er doesn't hold a grudge over what happened before, I have no intention of bringing it up again," Jiang Chen said coolly. "However, the purpose of my visit today is to see whether the Yan family truly means what it says."

The Yan family patriarch hastened to reply: "My Yan family has been through so much, and we have come to deeply understand that the only righteous path forward is to follow the Sacred Ground closely. From this day forth, we will follow the Sacred Ground with unwavering loyalty and contribute our strength to the Divine Kingdom."

Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. "I have no interest in hearing words like that."

"I will ask two things. First—how does your Yan family intend to handle Huang'er's biological parents? Second—who was it that crippled Elder Shun? That person must be handed over to me and delivered to Elder Shun for his judgment."